Page 7 of The Spanish Daughter (The Lost Daughters #5)

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THE SANTIAGO FAMILY ESTATE, ARGENTINA, 1931

Valentina found every excuse to go near the horses when her mother wasn’t watching her. She leaned on the fence post and watched her father ride, showing interest in his training, but really it was Felipe whom she was there for. Even if she only caught a glimpse of him, it was worth it.

At the weekend, it was Felipe who held her father’s ponies in preparation for their ride, it was Felipe who would lead them around afterwards when they were hot and breathing hard, and he always made sure to walk the horses past where she was standing. It was in those moments, when he would smile and give her a little wave, or say hello, that her heart would leap, leaving her breathing almost as heavily as the animals he was walking.

But he would never stop. His eyes always met hers and they stared at each other until he could turn his head no longer, until the next time he passed, and Valentina was never brave enough to say anything more than hello. Perhaps if her father hadn’t been so near, or Felipe’s father hadn’t been keeping such a close eye on his son, they might have, but for now she was content to just see him. Especially when he seemed as happy to see her as she was him.

But today when Felipe walked past her, he stopped. Valentina dug her nails nervously into the wooden fence post, her heart pounding.

‘Morning,’ he said.

‘Good morning,’ she replied, although it came out as barely a whisper.

But Felipe’s grin was contagious, and she found herself grinning straight back at him, her nerves almost immediately disappearing. He ducked his head under the horse’s neck, looking back at their fathers, but from where Valentina was standing, she could see they were having a heated exchange about something and weren’t looking in their direction. They hadn’t even noticed he’d stopped.

‘What are they arguing about?’ Valentina asked.

‘Game strategies,’ Felipe said with a shrug. ‘It’s not a real argument, they just both get very passionate when it comes to polo.’

Valentina laughed, and then Felipe laughed, and she had a warm sensation pass through her as their eyes caught again. She couldn’t have looked away from him if she’d tried.

‘I like it when you come to watch,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘I like it, too.’

‘Felipe!’ came a shout from across the field. ‘Keep that horse walking!’

‘I’d better go,’ he said with a grin. ‘See you next weekend?’

Valentina bit her bottom lip to stop her smile from becoming too big before saying, ‘I’ll be here.’

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe they’d finally spoken as he walked away, glancing back at her, and she felt as if her legs might give out from beneath her.

‘Hey, Valentina,’ he called out.

Her eyes met his again.

‘You look really pretty today.’

She burst out laughing, her hand across her heart. If this wasn’t what falling in love felt like, then she couldn’t imagine what was.